The One That Got Away Read Online Free PDF Page A

long time.”
    â€œHe didn’t even register on my scale, okay?”
    â€œOkay, now,” Jade said, throwing a thin, peach-scented arm over Serena’s shoulder as they walked toward the bathroom door. “Tell me some lies I can believe at least. Yes or no answers. Do you think he’s still cute?”
    â€œYes, though I’d say handsome now.” Arriving at her bed, Serena took a seat and smiled up at Jade.
    â€œI don’t know if the mustache helps,” her friend replied. “Other than that, though, he was just like I would have pictured. Lean and fit, sharp fade, tailored suit, gold cuff links, you name it. Once he gets over his search for another version of you, Tony just might make someone a good husband.”
    Serena let Jade’s kind words go unchallenged. Her friend was probably right. Tony might still be fleeing the weights of marriage and family, but she knew him well enough to know he wasn’t the typical bachelor racking up a bedroom body count. She wondered if he still doubted his ability to be a successful husband; he’dalways feared he would wind up like Wayne, his twice-divorced playboy father.
    â€œUh-oh,” Jade said as she settled onto her own bed. “You’ve got that dreamy look in your eyes. I hope you’re not fantasizing about a certain somebody.” She smiled, but her eyes burned with a hint of caution. “You’re better than Jamie, Serena. Don’t go there.”
    â€œGirl, I’m fine,” Serena said, waving her friend off and clicking on the television. To her right, a large window with an amazing view reminded her of the bustling city below, but she had no energy for adventure. Finding the Lifetime network, she settled back against the bed’s fluffy pillows and shut her eyes. A trip down memory lane never hurt anyone, Jade.
    There were any number of reasons Mr. Tony Gooden got close enough to do his damage, damage he’d unsuccessfully tried to undo at her and Jamie’s wedding. Despite the many memories they shared from a romance that lasted barely two hundred days, the sight today of his button nose and the sound of his high-pitched voice—half a notch between Chris Tucker and Chris Rock—brought one particular day rushing back.
    It was a rainy spring afternoon, late in her freshman year, when he arrived at her aunt Velma’s house in Oak Park. Serena was living with Velma, the only relative willing to take her off her parents’ hands after years of crack, DUIs, and Dawn’s unplanned arrival. As soon as she stepped onto Velma’s porch, Tony spun around and pulled her close. After risking a lengthy French kiss, something he knew Velma forbade on her property, he began pulling her toward his used faded Mercedes sedan. “Let’s move,” he said. “I promised Devon we’d meet him and the girls at five.”
    Serena waited until they were safely encased inside the Mercedes before leaning over for another kiss. When a flashback of the previous night’s sexual marathon hit her, she snaked a hand into his lap. She had just started a soft stroking motion when Tony started the car, shifting just enough that she lost her grip.
    â€œ What are you doing?” She wasn’t accustomed to her man turning down sex play, regardless of time or place. She and Tonyenjoyed pushing each other mentally—whether the subject was education reform, the authenticity of the Bible, or Clinton versus Bush 41, they were always bickering—but that energy always spilled into the bedroom, and anywhere else they could steal a private moment.
    â€œHey,” he said, a chuckle softening his insistent tone, “we need to get over there, is all. I want to make sure you meet Devon’s date and her friend.”
    â€œOh, God, is this that Kym girl and her friend Jade? Why would two Northwestern AKAs bother with a girl from UIC who lives with her spinster aunt?” Serena